LOVESTYLES AND MARITAL SATISFACTION
By
Hilton Rudnick
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
MAGISTER ARTIUM
in
PSYCHOLOGY
in the
FACULTY OF ARTS
at the
RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
SUPERVISOR: DR H.G. PRETORIUS
1997 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am deeply indebted to the following people:
My mother Fay for her unconditional love and for ensuring my secure attachment, then and now.
Colleen, my partner, who showed me how to turn the theory of love into the practise of loving, but still refuses to reveal her lovestyle.
My son Caleb, who is love personified, and who daily gives me the following advise "Goh der daddy". I'm still going.
My supervisor, mentor and friend Dr Gertie Pretorius, who was always ready when I was ready.
My siblings Marcia and Michael who helped create my idyllic childhood.
My lifelong friend Pierre who has always been there with support, encouragement and most of all belief.
Rod Charlton for his ongoing motivation and Jenny Charlton sure made who there were grammatical none, errors.
Ezelle Theron for help with the translation.
My fellow students for an awe-inspiring M.A. year.
Professor Mike Bendixon who assisted me with the statistics.
The participants who filled out questionnaires.
All romantics, everywhere.
This study is dedicated to, and in memory of my late father Issy Rudnick who I still love and miss.
ii OP SOMMING
Die studie stel ondersoek in na watter tipes liefde die grootste bevrediging binne die huwelik bied. Hoewel sosiale antropolod daarop wys dat die menslike gesin reeds honderdduisende jare lank bestaan, is die studie van wat dit is wat spesifieke pare mense bymekaarbring (of maatseleksie) 'n relatief onlangse veld. Vir die grootste deel van hierdie ontsaglike tydsverloop was die pragmatisme van lewe en oorlewing die belangrikste faktore wat bepaal het hoe spesifieke mans en vroue byeengekom het om verbintenisse as pare te smee. Dit is stellig slegs in die kontemporere geskiedenis dat liefde na yore getree het as 'n belangrike bydraende faktor in die vorming van pare en as 'n kriterium vir die huwelik. Evolusiesielkundiges gee te kenne dat liefde deels ontstaan het om hierdie pareverbintenisse meer doeltreffend verenig te hou en sodoende die oorlewing van afstammelinge in die besonder en die spesie in die algemeen te verseker. Modernisasie het baie veranderinge aan die lewende omgewing en sosiale waardes teweeggebring wat huweliksverhoudinge nie ongeskonde gelaat het nie. In die jongste tyd het wetenskaplikes vrae begin vra oor die interne meganismes van verhoudings. 'n Verskeidenheid modelle is ontwikkel in 'n poging om antwoorde hierop te vind.
In hierdie studie word drie modelle kortliks ondersoek, naamlik:
Sternberg se Driehoeksmodel wat aanvoer dat passie, intimiteit en beslissing/verbintenis die belangrikste komponente van liefde is. Die verskillende kombinasies waarin dit in 'n verhouding teenwoordig is, bepaal die tipe liefde wat ervaar word.
Die Gehegtheidsteoriemodel wat daarop aanspraak maak dat die bande wat tussen suigelinge en hulle sorgdraers gevorm word, die prototipe van latere liefdesbande word. Dit word verder in drie hooftipes verdeel, naamlik geborge, ontwykend of angstig/ambivalent.
iii * Die Evolusieteoriemodel van liefde wat die kollig plaas op inherente biologiese meganismes en verklaar dat die take wat omvat word in die keuse van 'n maat hoofsaaklik toegespits is op voortplanting, waar mans en vroue gelykgerigte maar verskillende maatstawwe het.
Die hoofmodel wat in hierdie studie ondersoek word, is die Liefdeskleuremodel van J.A. Lee. Lee voer aan dat liefde ten beste beskou word as a veeldimensionele tipologie van style. Die drie (primere) style is:
Eros — hartstogtelik, sensueel, idealisties, eerlik en intens Storge — vriendskapsgebaseer, gemaklik, tydsaam, stabiel Ludus — strategies, veelvoudige geselle, bedrieglik, liefde as 'n spel
Die drie sekondere style is kombinasies van die primere style, naamlik:
Mania — Eros + Ludus — obsessief, besitlik en vol kwellinge Pragma — Storge + Ludus — inkopielysoefening van voorkeurmaatstawwe Agape — Storge + Eros — onbaatsugtig en dienend, 'n soort aanbiddende toewyding
Lee hou voor dat liefdestyle nie vaste eienskappe is nie maar van verhouding tot verhouding kan verskil, of binne dieselfde verhouding met verloop van tyd kan verander. Heelwat navorsing is gedoen om Lee se model te probeer staaf. Die werking van liefdestyle is bestudeer in 'n verskeidenheid van kontekste, waaronder hulle verband met geslag, konflikhantering en siening van seks.
Die studie maak gebruik van die Liefdeshoudingskaal en Tweetalaanpassingskaal om antwoorde op sekere navorsingsvrae te vind. Die vrae is: Sal die liefdestyl van een gade bepalend weer ten opsigte van die huweliksbevrediging van die ander gade?
iv Kan 'n bepaalde kombinasie van liefdestyle in verband gebring word met huweliksbevrediging? Is mans meer geneig om ludus te wees? Is vroue meer geneig om storge, pragma of agape te wees? Het verhoudings die neiging om met verloop van tyd storge te word? Is daar 'n verband tussen standvastige huwelike en groter bevrediging?
Die resultate van die studie toon dat indien of die man Of die vrou eros of agape is, die gade waarskynlik goed aangepas sal wees in die huwelik. Indien een van die twee egter ludus is, sal die verhouding waarskynlik daaronder ly. Sekere kombinasies van liefdestyle in pare blyk bevorderlik vir huweliksbevrediging te wees, veral in gevalle waar beide vennote agape is. Geen aanduidings is gevind dat mans meer gened is om ludus te wees nie. Vroue het eweneens nie geblyk meer agapies, stogies of pragmies as mans te wees nie. Dan was geen aanduidings dat langdurige verhoudings storgies is nie en hulle gaan ook nie gepaard met groter aanpassing in pare se verhoudings nie.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Title i Acknowledgements ii Opsomming iii Table of Contents vi List of Tables xi List of Figures xii Annexures xiii
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION.
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Mate Selection 2 1.2.1 The Criteria of Early Humans 2 1.2.2 The Criteria of Modern Humans 3
1.3 Changes in the Modern Marriage 4 1.3.1 Romance 4 1.3.2 The Permissive Society 4 1.3.2.1 Premarital cohabitation 6 1.3.2.2 Transience in Marriage 6
1.4 Motivation and Aims of Study 7 1.4.1 Aims of Study 8
CHAPTER 2 - MODELS OF LOVE.
2 Introduction 9
2.1 Sternbergs's Triangular Model 9 2.1.1 The Triangle of Love 9 2.1.2 Combinations of the Components 12 2.1.2.1 Absence of all Components - Nonlove 12 2.1.2.2 Intimacy - Liking 12 2.1.2.3 Passion - Infatuated Love 12 2.1.2.4 Decision/Commitment - Empty Love 13 2.1.2.5 Intimacy and Passion - Romantic Love 13 2.1.2.6 Intimacy and Commitment - Companionate Love 14 2.1.2.7 Passion and Commitment - Fatuous Love 14 2.1.2.8 Intimacy and Passion and Commitment - Consumate Love 14 2.1.3 Changes in the Components through Time 14
vi 2.1.4 Triangle Structure 15 2.1.5 Sternberg's Triangle in Research 17 2.1.5.1 Comparing Triangle Perceptions 17 2.1.5.2 Other Examinations of Sternberg's Theory 18
2.2 The Attachment Theory of Love 20 2.2.1 Introduction 20 2.2.2 Infant Attachment 21 2.2.2.1 Attachment Types 22 2.2.3 Adult Attachment 22 2.2.3.1 Attachment Style and Romantic Experiences 23 2.2.3.1.1 Secure Style 23 2.2.3.1.2 Insecure Styles 24 2.2.3.2 Working Models of Attachment 25 2.2.3.3 Cross-generational Attachment 25 2.2.3.4 Caregiving in Infants and Adults 26 2.2.4 Predicting Adult Relationships using Attachment Style 27 2.2.5 Relationship Quality and Attachment Style 28 2.2.6 Other Criticisms 29 2.2.7 Conclusion 31
2.3 The Evolutionary Model of Love 33 2.3.1 Introduction 33 2.3.1.1 Division of Roles 34 2.3.1.2 The Origins of Love 34 2.3.1.3 The Tasks of Love 35 2.3.1.3.1 Resource Display 36 2.3.1.3.2 Exclusivity 37 2.3.1.3.3 Love Actions - A modern test 37 2.3.2 Mate Selection 38 2.3.2.1 Ancestral Trends in Modern Times 39 2.3.2.2 Sexual Strategies 40 2.3.2.2.1 Mating Preferences 40 2.3.2.3 Common Gender Concerns 42 2.3.2.3.1 Identifying a Good Reciprocal Ally 42 2.3.2.3.2 Identifying Someone who is Committed 43 2.3.2.3.3 Identifying a Mate with Good Parenting Skills 43 2.3.2.4 Other Dimensions of Mate Selection 43 2.3.3 Evolution, Marriage and Divorce 44 2.3.3.1 Ancient Nurturing Unions 45 2.3.3.2 Marriage Dissolution 45 2.3.3.2.1 Adultery 45 2.3.3.2.2 Sterility 46 2.3.3.3 Love and Procreation 46 2.3.4 Conclusion 46
vii CHAPTER 3 - LEE'S MODEL OF LOVE.
3.1 Introduction 48
3.2 The Lovestyles 49 3.2.1 Eros 49 3.2.2 Storge 50 3.2.3 Ludus 51 3.2.4 Mania - Eros + Ludus 52 3.2.5 Pragma - Storge + Ludus 52 3.2.6 Agape - Storge + Eros 53
3.3 Lovestyle Combinations 54
3.4 Further Research 55 3.4.1 Lovestyles and Gender 55 3.4.2 Lovestyles and the Process of Love 56 3.4.3 Lovestyles: Trait or Attitude 57 3.4.4 Lovestyles across Cultures 59 3.4.5 Lovestyles and other Correlates 61 3.4.5.1 Lovestyles and Life Satisfaction 61 3.4.5.2 Lovestyles and Conflict Handling 61 3.4.5.3 Lovestyles and Sexual Attitudes 62 3.4.6 Lovestyles and other Love Measures 62 3.4.6.1 Lovestyles and Attachment 62 3.4.7 Lovestyles and Relationship Satisfaction 63 3.4.7.1 Relationship Qualities 64 3.4.7.2 Relationship Satisfaction 65 3.4.7.3 Marriage and Lovestyles 65 3.4.7.4 Existential Love Qualities 66
3.5 Conclusion 67
CHAPTER 4 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
4.1 Introduction 68
4.2 Research Design 68
4.3 Subjects 69
4.4 Procedure 69
4.5 Measuring Instruments 70 4.5.1 The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) 70 4.5.2 The Love Attitude Scale (LAS) 72
4.6 Hypotheses 74
4.7 Statistical Measures 75
viii CHAPTER 5 - RESULTS .
5.1 Introduction 76
5.2 Descriptive Statistics 76
5.3 Hypothesis 1 - Male Lovestyle and Female Dyadic Adjustment 79
5.4 Hypothesis 2 - Female Lovestyle and male Dyadic Adjustment 80
5.5 Hypothesis 3 - Couple Lovestyle and Dyadic Adjustment 82
5.6 Hypothesis 4 - Prevalence of Ludus by Gender 84
5.7 Hypothesis 5 - Prevalence of Selected Styles by Gender 85
5.8 Hypothesis 6 86 5.8.1 Hypothesis 6a - Duration and Storge 86 5.8.2 Hypothesis 6b - Duration and Dyadic Adjustment 86
CHAPTER 6 - DISCUSSION OF RESULTS.
6.1 Introduction 88
6.2 Hypotheses 1 and 2 - Lovestyle and Dyadic Adjustment by Gender 88
6.3 Hypothesis 3 - Lovestyle and Dyadic Adjustment by Couples 89
6.4 Hypothesis 4 - Prevalence of Ludus by Gender 91
6.5 Hypothesis 5 - Prevalence of Selected Styles by Gender 92
6.6 Hypothesis 6 92 6.6.1 Duration and Storge 92 6.6.2 Duration and Dyadic Adjustment 92
6.7 Conclusion 93
ix CHAPTER 7 - SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 7.1 Introduction 94 7.2 Limitations of the Study 94 7.3 Discussion of Findings 95 7.4 Commonality of Models 97 7.5 Recommendations for Further Research 99 7.6 Final Word 100
Reference List 102
Annexures I
x LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Attachment style, caregiving and sexuality 27 Table 3.1 Lovestyles and Personality Correlates 59 Table 5.1 Cross-tabulation of male and female lovestyles 77 Table 5.2 Frequency table for male and female lovestyles 79 Table 5.3 Male lovestyle correlated to female dyadic adjustment 80 Table 5.4 Female lovestyle correlated to male dyadic adjustment 81 Table 5.5 Male dyadic adjustment correlated to female dyadic adjustment 81 Table 5.6 Same lovestyle / combination lovestyle analysis of variance with female dyadic adjustment 83 Table 5.7 Same lovestyle / combination lovestyle analysis of variance with male dyadic adjustment 83 Table 5.8 Male ludus mean compared with female ludus mean 84 Table 5.9 Comparison of male and female frequencies of agape and storge 85 Table 5.10 Duration of marriage correlated to storge 86 Table 5.11 Duration of Marriage correlated to Dyadic Adjustment 87
xi LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Sternberg Love Triangle: Core element of Passion 16 Figure 3.1 The Lovestyle Palette 54
xii ANNEXURES
Annexure A Original Love Attitude Scale I Annexure B English Cover Sheet and Love Attitude Scale IV Annexure C English Dyadic Adjustment Scale VIII Annexure D Dekbrief Liefdeshoudingskaal XII Annexure E Die Verhoudingsaanpassingskaal XVI Dr. Aubrey Richards, an anthropologist who lived among the Bemba of Zambia in the 1930's, once related to a group of them an English folk tale about a young prince who climbed glass mountains, crossed chasms, and fought dragons, all to obtain the hand of a maiden he loved. The Bemba were plainly bewildered, but remained silent. Finally an old chief spoke up, voicing the feelings of all present in the simplest of questions. "Why not take another girl 7" he asked.
Morton Hunt - "The Natural History of Love".
xiv Chapter 1 - Introduction and Motivation.
Love doesn't solve everything. I just think it does.
Lois Wyse
1.1 Introduction The family as an institution has endured since primitive times. Quale (1988) indicates that consorts of kinship bands were almost certainly well established up to 2 million years ago by Homo erectus in Africa. These bands would most likely have paired into fairly monogamous partnerships mainly for survival logistics, and with well defined "traditional" roles. That is, the man would hunt, the woman would gather food and nurture the young. Through a combination of natural forces (conjugation) and convenience (hunting, nurturing), the development of pair- bonding became entrenched. This would have created a relatively secure environment for offspring to be fostered, and within pair-bonds and kinship bands, the young would have stood a greater chance of surviving. In effect primitive economics played an important role in family development, and not surprisingly, according to most authorities including Gittins (1985) and Quale (1988) economics remains one of the major components of the marriage institution today.
Undeniably the world is immeasurably different now than it was when Homo erectus sought his mate. Yet pair-bonding has survived as has the nuclear family, albeit with many variations (Berardo, 1990). The functions and structures of the family have changed in harmony with the social forces which have shaped complex modern living environments. For example families have adapted to current mortality rates. Quale (1988) notes that life expectancy amongst the Neanderthals was about 35 years, remarkably similar to what it was some 35000 years later in England, where Gittins (1985) records it as being 32 years at the end of the 18th century. Figures for the white South African population are much the same, and show a similar steady increase in life expectancy until by 1981 a white
1 South African could statistically expect to live to about 70 years of age (The Central Statistical Services of South Africa, 1986). Life expectancy has thus about doubled this century, a change which has impacted on a myriad of social institutions. Gittins (1985) elucidates how families and marriages have changed in modern times. He notes that an average couple who marry at an average age and have average life expectancies, will be together for about 35 years longer currently, than they would have 200 years ago, and for the 35000 years before then. Importantly then, marriages were generally shorter in line with lower life expectancies. A century ago it was also common for children of these marriages not to survive into adulthood, and since lifespans were so much shorter, they rarely knew their grandparents. It was common for a parent to die before the children were adults, and thus families were often reconstituted with a non-biological parent and step-siblings. Family bonds were thus battered around far more than would be common today. In all, the past century or two has seen rapid changes to the forces which act on families, with little hint that changes are slowing down. The modern family has not had the luxury of several generations to take stock and adapt to the crush of new dynamics which have enfolded contemporary society. The family as an institution appears to have been buffeted severely in a relatively short time, and it is telling to explore what has really changed. This can be achieved firstly by examining how mate selection has evolved, and secondly by looking at recent researched changes to modern marriages.
1.2 Mate Selection 1.2.1 The Criteria of Early Humans It is interesting to examine how primitive individuals would have chosen their mates. Quale (1988) speculates with reasonable certainty, that mate selection has been going on for about 100,000 years, that is since the earliest humans (Homo Sapiens Neanderthals). She suggests that choices would have obviously been contained within a limited geographic area, and would have revolved around a few main considerations: a) Compatibility - choosing a person you liked to be with.
2 Food supply - choosing a good hunter or gatherer or someone whose natal band was proficient in that area. Health - choosing a partner who came from healthy stock.
Although food supply and health might be considered fairly obvious criteria, it is reassuring that even with all the hardships encountered by early people, compatibility with a mate was still highly rated. This lays claim to primitive notions of attraction and affection, and serves notice for what was to follow. There can only be speculation regarding the nature of primitive courting, romance and love, yet it appears that current concerns with being a partner to the "right" person, does have a long history, and gives some indication of the energies which to this day, fuel the human spirit.
1.2.2 The Criteria of Modern Humans According to Buss and Barnes (1986), both men and women rated companionship, consideration, kindness and affection very highly (compatibility). Additionally, women ranked men who had good earning capacities, were ambitious and career oriented highly (food supply), while men sought women who were attractive (healthy) , good cooks and frugal (food supply). Both men and women also rated the importance of their partner's family background highly (health and food supply). Sprecher, Sullivan and Hatfield (1994) detail that in terms of the evolutionary theory and the sociocultural perspective, men tend to select in terms of the woman's reproductive traits (such as youth and attractiveness), while women tend to be attracted to men's potential resource acquisition (such as ambition and status). Therefore although the specifics have changed, there are notable similarities between mate selection across thousands of years. It seems then that although there have been radical changes to family infra-structure, internal drives and innate psychological selecting mechanisms remain largely intact.
3 An example of how the methodology for mate selection may changed, but the criteria stayed the same, is in the initial finding of potential partners. Ahuvia and Adelman (1992) offer some insight in their recent review of marriage markets. They note that a veritable industry has been built around introducing people through dating agencies. Moreover addition compared to the somewhat limited choices our ancestors were generally forced to make, based on tribe, locality and a small selection of the correct aged partners available, contemporary choices are notably different. The choices of who to meet, where and when to meet them, have escalated immeasurably in modern times.
1.3 Changes in the Modern Marriage Given this vast canvass of change and choice in social anthropology, it is useful to examine some of these changes which may have manifested in recent times. Although the concept of love appears to have been part of the human condition for thousands of years, as a criterion for marriage it is relatively new (Peele, 1988). At the same time modern times have brought modern concepts, amongst them has been a condoning of permissiveness not seen in any other recorded age. This has left its mark on many established institutions, of which those of marriage and the nuclear family are amongst the most important (Surra, 1990).
1.3.1 Romance Despite the practicalities of mate selection which appear to have existed for many thousands of years, there seems to have always been an element of something more emotional involved (Quale, 1988). Depending on the degree of intensity, this could, at its most insipid, have been compatibility or at the other end of the scale, love or romance. In recorded history, the time most associated with the inception of romance was during the 12th century and the writings concerning the knights of the round table. This was the beginning of "courtly love", which Rechtein and Fiedler (1989) discuss as being a projection of idealism onto the brave knight and the damsel in distress. The brave knights undertook dangerous journeys for the sake of love, and this idealistic notion of a perfect couple became
4 ingrained in the western psyche. However love and romance appear to be far older than 800 years, and there is considerable written evidence they existed at least 2500 years ago. For example Shaver, Havan and Bradshaw (1988) give an example of a poem that old, dealing with the very contemporary issue of unrequited love. Importantly however, despite the fact that physiological and emotional mechanisms of love have been an innately human characteristic for many thousands of years, it has only been relatively recently (the last 130 to 200 years) that love has asserted itself as a major ingredient of marital union and being "in love" has come to be seen as a necessary prerequisite for marriage (Berschied and Walster, 1978; Peele, 1988). Beall and Sternberg (1995) argue that although this is widely accepted in individualist cultures, collectivist cultures embrace other factors like how the person relates to the extended family. South Africa which is a hybrid of individualist and collectivist cultures, would therefore appear to house varying complicated sociological conceptions of marriage.
1.3.2 The Permissive Society Marriage is the socially sanctioned institution within which to conduct sexual relations and have children. The sexual revolution of the 1960's and the corresponding loosening of attitudes has however created significant shifts in the marriage market. The women's liberation movement changed many female attitudes regarding their dependency on men, and hence the economic factors of marrying are not as overtly prevalent. Surra's (1990) review of American relationships in the decade of the 1980's records a striking rise in the postponement of marriage by both sexes in favour of cohabitation. In South Africa this is equally true, where the number of whites "living together" increased by nearly 80% between 1985 and 1991 alone (Central Statistical Service, 1986, 1991). This section briefly examines the impact of premarital cohabitation and the increase in transient relationships on marriage.
5 1.3.2.1 Premarital cohabitation It is interesting to inquire what effect the propensity for premarital cohabitation has on the marriage institution. Surra (1990) indicates that it results in less stable marriages of shorter duration. She suggests that this is because people enter into this situation with less commitment than they would into a marriage. DeMaris and Leslie (1984) had however explored this issue and found that even if the commitment variable is controlled, cohabitors still presented with a reduced marital satisfaction.
Premarital cohabitation has only recently become an important factor in mate selection and has also contributed to the increase in the average marrying age (Surra, 1990). For many people it appears to offer some kind of marriage simulation and compatibility test. Yet research indicates that it offers just the opposite, as cohabitors tend to have less satisfying marriages. DeMaris and Leslie (1984) suggest that it is not the act of cohabiting which effects the marriage, but rather the kind of person who chooses to cohabit that produces the more precarious union.
1.3.2.2 Transience in Marriage A recent development is the range of options people are exposed to in their modern living environments. A comparison with any previous age shows that there has been an accelerated assault on the concept of "choice" in almost all respects. Individuals are bombarded daily by media campaigns exhorting the merits of one product over another. There are a plethora of options when buying a car, a house, detergents or even a loaf of bread. This culture of experimentation and expediency impacts on the consumer society as never before (Toffler, 1990). This culture of transience and impermanence has permeated even the most sacred institutions, like marriage. As the attitudes towards previously permanent partnerships become increasingly tentative, Glick (1988) notes that divorce and remarriage are increasingly becoming common currency. Berardo (1990) claims
6 that this is because families have had to be more resilient now than ever before. He points out that there have been increases in many "alternative" marriage and family types, such as single parents, househusbands, unmarried couples and childless unions, and suggests that contemporary concepts of individual independence and self-expression shift the emphasis away from familism to individualism, in line with the "me" generation. Notions of what constitutes a modern family are becoming highly flexible, with fluid parameters and evolving, loosely defined boundaries.
1.4 Motivation and Aims of Study Of late there has been an accelerated impetus in the study of marriage and its associated issues. A veritable deluge of research articles are regularly devoted to the topic, for example Hatfield and Sprecher (1986); Fincham and Bradbury (1987); Dion and Dion (1993); Kamo (1993). There has also been some recent South African research on marriage and mate selection, particularly Crous and Pretorius (1994). New books appear with striking regularity while instruments to measure aspects of relationships are readily available. These include Hendrick and Hendrick's Love Attitude Scale, Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Rubin's Love Scale (Tzeng, 1993). Relationships, love and marriage are becoming increasingly measurable and as more questions become answered, researchers are able to unravel some of the complexity within the field. Adams (1988) looks back at fifty years of family research to discover that it has become increasingly scientific despite dealing with so-called "soft" variables like adjustment and attitudes. When even more elusive constructs like satisfaction, contentment and love are introduced, social scientists find that the terrain might be uncomfortably abstract. However, it is anticipated that as this domain, once only the estate of poets and philosophers becomes steadily more understood, it will bear fruit by answering questions which can then be profitably applied in many couple- counselling situations.
7 The concepts of mate selection, marriage and familial stability are at the heart of societal functioning. There are a myriad of variables that impact on these constructs, as is evident from Surra's (1990) decade review. Recent research has shed some light, albeit theoretical, on the reasons why two people form a marital dyad. Social scientists are thus slowly building a solid mass of knowledge relating to the entire process of how and why a couple eventually exist. This goes hand in hand with contemporary urgency, for the accelerating forces of career, sociological, psychological and economic pressures play havoc with older traditional values of stability and permanence in all these domains. Soaring divorce rates are only one symptom of couples and individuals buckling under these tremendous pressures. Clearly, whatever can be done to better understand the choices individuals make in forming marital dyads, can only be regarded as useful information. In the South African context, this type of research is similarly required. With the wealth of family and marriage research being done abroad, it is important to know if this information applies to South African couples. Thus the primary motivation for the study is to better understand the way South Africans love.
1.4.1 Aims of Study Lee's (1976) treatise is widely accepted as a valuable model of love. To date no work appears to have been done using this model in South Africa. The aims of this study thus are: To determine if there is any relationship between the various lovestyles and marital satisfaction for a South African sample. To examine several contemporary models of love.
8 Chapter 2. Models of Love.
2. Introduction Finding the "right person" to marry is part of the developmental psyche in western culture. Dating is the prevalent method of choice in experimenting with relationships and by the teenage years most people have begun to explore the complex dynamic of interacting with the opposite sex on a romantic level. Research has proposed various models of how the choices are made. The similarity model suggests that we select mates who are similar to us in one or various ways such as educational level, religion, interests, personality, intellect and so on (Wetzel and lnsko, 1982). The complementarity model of Reik (Mathes and Moore, 1985) holds that one falls in love with someone who has some important qualities which you lack. There are several variations on these themes. There are also counter themes like that of Lykken and Tellegen (1993) who consider that mate selection is far more random and unpredictable than we would have previously considered. In all there are several models which indicate how individuals form couples, and how the relationship these couples form then tend to proceed. This chapter presents an overview of three contemporary models.
2.1. Sternbergs's Triangular Model
"To love somebody is not just a strong feeling - it is a decision, it is a judgement, it is a promise"
Eric Fromm 2.1.1 The Triangle of Love Robert J. Sternberg conceptualised love as a triangle (Sternberg, 1988b), the three vertices representing the components of intimacy, passion and decision/commitment respectively. He emphasises that the use of a triangle is simply a metaphor which is easy to visualise and not a geometric model.
9 Although he acknowledges that the partitioning into these three components is to some extent academically expedient (Sternberg, 1986) he does justify the selection (Sternberg, 1988a) and lists several reasons why, viz.: The components appear to comprehensively include other aspects of love. The components are general across generations and cultures. The components are psychologically and logically distinct. The components seem to be consistent with other studies.
Intimacy : There are many feelings associated with " love", including feelings of warmth, tenderness and a close connection with the loved one. These feelings make up the intimacy component of love. In an earlier attempt to establish a general factor of love using factor analysis, Sternberg and Grajek (1984) concluded that an independent factor was unlikely and rather a set of correlated clusters or bonds was involved. They described the most important of these as (Sternberg, 1988b) : The lengths you would go to promote the welfare of your partner. The degree to which you experience happiness by being together. The high regard you have for each other as a couple. The extent to which you can count on each other. How well you understand each other. The sharing of your feelings, ideas and possessions. The giving and receiving of emotional support. Being able to share intensely private information. I) The value the loved one has in your life. Sternberg (1988a) notes that only some of these need to constitute an individual's paradigm of love, and that in reality there is a rather more indistinct composite feeling. Ironically he contends that intimacy, albeit a foundation of love, may constitute a threat in that with its increasing self-disclosures some individuals become vulnerable and threatened, and in addition feel in danger of being consumed by the other as their identity as an autonomous individual becomes compromised. He suggests that there is always a tension between
1 0 being intimate and being autonomous and that this tension is part of the dynamic of the relationship.
Passion: Sternberg's second component consists of the inner drives which result in being attracted to someone romantically, physically or sexually. Although many people choose to give expression to these drives outside of a loving relationship either with good intent or frivolously, Sternberg (1988a) focused predominantly on passion's presence in a love union, and sees it largely as a expression of needs and desires, for example needs of affiliation or dominance. He also emphasises that passion is not necessarily sexual but could be based on any number of aspects, for example an attraction to someone's power or intelligence.
Decision/Commitment: Sternberg's final component is the short term decision that someone makes that he loves someone, and the longer term commitment to maintain that love. Neither of these may be an overt cognition, but may exist on a more instinctual level, but at the same time, a short term decision does not necessarily imply a subsequent long-term commitment. A more mature love is however thought to contain both an initial overt decision and result in a longer term commitment. Sternberg (1988a) contends that it is the decision / commitment component that keeps relationships together during their difficult periods. A further complication may be the way the individuals interpret commitment, for whilst for one partner it may mean "stay together at all costs", for the other it may mean "stay together until it's not working".
In summary, Sternberg (1986) views passion as "hot" and derived mainly from the motivational involvement, intimacy as "warm" and deriving predominantly from emotional investment while decision/commitment is "cold" and derived largely from cognitive rationalisation. He also notes that the properties of the components are not uniform and that for example, whilst intimacy and decision/commitment are relatively stable, passion, being less controllable, is
11 less stable. In enduring love relationships intimacy and commitment play a larger and longer role than passion, though in a short relationship, the opposite is true.
2.1.2 Combinations of the Components It is not necessary that all three components exist in a love relationship, but rather that the various combinations define the nature of the union. Sternberg (1988b) realistically asserts that the component combinations define a conveniently discreet extreme and that the fine nuances of the extent of the different components add another dimension to the composite relationships. For example when a mixture of intimacy and passion is described, it is described as if both components are there in equal quantity, though this may not necessarily be the case. By combining the identified components on his triangle in their various ways , Sternberg (1988b) classified the eight possible types as follows:
2.1.2.1 Absence of all Components - Nonlove Most often relationships of this nature are the casual acquaintances who never enter into any meaningful relationship in one's life. There are no mutual expectations in the interactions between individuals as lives intersect in various functional ways, and few endeavours at more meaningful exchanges are sought.
2.1.2.2 Intimacy - Liking When the intimacy component exists on its own one experiences the bonds of a close friendship. Sternberg (1988b) emphasises that the term "liking" is not used frivolously in the way one would describe casual associate, but rather in the context of a substantial true friendship.
2.1.2.3 Passion - Infatuated Love When passion exists without intimacy or commitment, Sternberg (1988b) considers this to be an obsessive type of love. These relationships often begin suddenly, with a forceful chemical attraction and a high degree of arousal
12 between the partners. Sternberg considers it a problematic love in that it is based on idealisation rather than reality. There is a tendency for relationships of this nature to have brief durations, generally not lasting much longer than it takes for the participants to get to know each other. They are relationships prone to rapid highs and lows, tend to be somewhat asymmetrical and are particularly susceptible to distress.
2.1.2.4 Decision/Commitment - Empty Love If a love is void of passion or intimacy, relying only on decision, Sternberg (1988b) considers this to be a stagnant union. He describes it as being most commonly found as a latter phase of relationships which once had the additional ingredients for a more fulfilling union, but which succumbed to the ravages of neglect to result in a hollow relationship. Sternberg suggests that many relationships exist in this state for years, and it becomes increasingly difficult to renew the attraction, energy and emotional involvement of their early origins.
2.1.2.5 Intimacy and Passion - Romantic Love In these unions there are strong elements of both physical and emotional involvement. Sternberg (1988a) sees both components as fuelling each other, yet without the element of commitment, the participants view the relationship in a more transitory way, or perhaps have not yet considered the relationship's existence in the broader context of their future lives. Although passion may draw people together initially, intimacy usually develops more slowly and helps cement and hence sustain the relationship in the course of time. On the other hand, the relationships may be terminal from the outset and exist purely to fill a function in each partner's phase of life. Romantic love has a reasonably substantial foundation, and may develop into something more permanent, or dissolve as its consorts move onto other things.
13 2.1.2.6 Intimacy and Commitment - Companionate Love Sternberg (1988b) also associates this type as a phase of marriage which may occur once the attraction has abated. In addition he suggests that most enduring love relationships eventually become companionate love. For some this type of relationship is not worth maintaining and extra-marital affairs replace the missing romance, while others enjoy this phase as an enhanced mature dimension of their union.
2.1.2.7 Passion and Commitment - Fatuous Love Relationships of this nature, lacking the vital ingredient of intimacy are regarded by Sternberg (1988b) as foolish whirlwinds. The couple tend to make permanent plans before they have had the chance to know each other on more than a superficial level. Without the intimacy component there is no depth to give the couple the requisite stability. Because passion is considered somewhat transitory, the couple may soon find themselves with only the fragile decision of their brief encounter. Their exaggerated expectations based on their over-investment of passion, leaves the couple disillusioned and the relationship unlikely to prosper.
2.1.2.8 Intimacy and Passion and Commitment - Consumate Love Sternberg (1988b) views this as the ultimate conception of love. With all three components present the union is expected to be complete, fulfilling and enduring. It is considered to be the type of love that most people would pursue as an ideal of their marriage union, yet not necessarily the type of love which would be sought at other times in one's life.
2.1.3 Changes in the Components through Time Sternberg (1988b) explains that the components have different time courses, and that the way the components interact with each other through time introduces important phases in the relationship. In part a successful marriage will be one that is able to sustain and adapt to these changes.
14 As a couple get to know, and become more predictable to each other, their experienced intimacy will decrease (Sternberg, 1988b). This need not be a negative state but in healthy relationships indicates that the pair is becoming increasingly closer, and simply that their visible intimacy is obscured below the surface of daily routine. Usually a sudden change in routine (for example one partner going on a business trip) will reveal the extent of the intimacy to the couple. Passion's course is usually different, and has a relatively short arousal phase, peaks soon after, then habituates. Finally decision/commitment tends to increase from zero, increasing as the relationship endures, then levelling off. Importantly the curves of all these graphs differ, and also differ for the individuals, hence the relationship dynamics tend to be in a state of flux, which increasingly becomes a state of stabilised flux.
2.1.4 Triangle Structure The construct of love cannot have its complexity justified by one simplified triangle, and Sternberg (1988a, 1988b) gave depth to his theory by considering the myriad possible combinations of triangle geometry. He focused his attention on two factors - the area of the triangle and the shape of the triangle.
Quite simply the smaller the area of the triangle, the less the love that is contained and hence experienced. The shape of the triangle indicates the way the love is balanced. An unbalanced triangle is skewed in the direction of any of the components in an unequal way, for example with an over-emphasis on passion or commitment. Ideally a balanced love relationship will be represented by an equilateral triangle. The representation below depicts a scalene triangle in which there is an overemphasis on the passion component, and is thus likely to be a union in which attraction is the core element:
15 Passion